Dark Justice
by ThirdCharm01
Summary: MN. B5xDark Series crossover. Love comes to even those who believe themselves undeserving, and Justice will always be met out, even to those who bend the very fabric of time to their will.
1. Introduction

Title: Dark Justice

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Neroon, for now. Others may be added as the story progresses.

Story Type: Crossover, Supernatural, Suspense, Action, Drama, and Romance.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The Dark Series, the Carpathians and all the other magical and preternatural beings belong to Christine Feehan and her publishers. Only Cassius and Cassandra Virostikov are mineThe following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.

Warnings: AU - as in, " Canon? We don't need no stinking canon from either series! AU", AT, het, slash, extreme violence and dark themes.

Spoilers: Everything – including the kitchen sink!

Summary: This is an answer to the 2007 Halloween crossover challenge found at the Delusions group. It is a crossover between Babylon 5 and Christine Feehan's Dark Series. Love comes to even those who believe themselves undeserving, and Justice will always be met out, even to those who bend the very fabric of time to their will.

Acknowledgements: I must thank ckl for taking the time to beta read this story.

Author's Note: Information on the Dark Series and all her creations can be found at Christine Feehan's official website. One Earth year equals 0.74 Minbari cycles. The Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary, though not all are direct translations.

* * *

Dark Justice

Introduction

There are many species in the galaxy that can claim the title of an Ancient Race, some of them benign, most of them not. There are the Vorlons, the Shadows, the Old Ones and, of course, Lorien. THEN, there are Earth's Carpathian Ancients; the Warriors, the Hunters, the Predators, the leaders of Earth's preternatural and magical societies and the protectors of Mother Earth Herself. They stand between all of Earth and the darkest of all evils. They are also the only things that stand between human democracy and PsiCorps from taking complete control of the EA through their twisted and unnatural telepathy.

They are as old as time itself and a part of life on Earth that humanity has been hiding both in fear of what the other races would do if they knew of Earth's Dark species and as last ditch defense of Mother Earth. The humans of the Earth Alliance and beyond also hide the preternatural species' existence at the Carpathian Prince's own request, for the Carpathians along with the rest of their Ancient brethren of Earth have always walked the Shadows and the Night.

But all these things were now about to change. The veil of secrecy so long and so valiantly held was about to be ripped violently away. The true Masters of the Night were about to be forced to into the starlight by the miracle of a bereaved Hunter's lost child found paired with the senseless tragedy of that child's own life hanging in the balance.

What will happen then? What happens when a Carpathian Ancient's lost child finds his soul mate – and it is NOT a being anyone would it expect it to be? Can the endangered Carpathian race and society survive a soul bond the likes of which has not been seen since the days when the legendary Gilgamesh walked the streets of Babylon when it becomes known? And what happens when that same Carpathian Ancient's child suffers a most horrible fate: that of practically dying at the hand of his own soul mate?

What happens when one of the oldest and most terrible of the Carpathian Hunters must awake from his grieving slumber to save his lost one? Can he race across the stars in time to save his long thought dead child, or is it already too late for both the father and the son? Has a desperate and foolish Challenge finally unleashed the chained Darkness of the most Ancient of all the Prince's Hunters soul? Has it unleashed a horror too terrible to name and too powerful to stop on an unsuspecting galaxy? Or can love truly heal all wounds?

What happens when the Minbari learn just what they would have truly faced had they had actually attacked Earth Herself? What happens when the Old Races who have walked the stars with all the arrogance of Gods learn of other, hidden Elder Races; of Elder Races of pure and unforgiving predators that would hunt them ALL to the Rim and beyond for what they had perpetrated against their world, their species and all the brethren of Mother Earth? And what happens when these hidden Elder Races converge on Babylon 5?


	2. Prologue

Title: Dark Justice

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Neroon for now. Others may be added as the story progresses.

Story Type: Crossover, Supernatural, Suspense, Action, Drama, and Romance.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The Dark Series, the Carpathians and all the other magical and preternatural beings belong to Christine Feehan and her publishers. Only Cassius and Cassandra Virostikov are mineThe following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.

Warnings: AU - as in, " Canon? We don't need no stinking canon from either series!" AU, AT, het, slash, extreme violence and dark themes.

Spoilers: Everything – including the kitchen sink!

Summary: This is an answer to the 2007 Halloween crossover challenge found at the Delusions group. It is a crossover between Babylon 5 and Christine Feehan's Dark Series. Love comes to even those who believe themselves undeserving, and Justice will always be met out, even to those who bend the very fabric of time to their will.

Acknowledgements: I must thank ckl for taking the time to beta read this story.

Author's Note: Information on the Dark Series and all her creations can be found at Christine Feehan's official website. One Earth year equals 0.74 Minbari cycles. The Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary, though not all are direct translations.

* * *

Dark Justice

Prologue

_Bicaz Gorge, Romania, 2226_

The tall, powerfully built, dark haired and dark eyed man surveyed the battleground before him. These twisted fools that had so arrogantly and quite mistakenly thought themselves to be Earth's "only true" telepaths were dead and no longer a threat to his people or to those under their protection. Cassius Virostikov snorted in derision, his olive skin flushing in anger. When would those pathetic Alien puppets in the PsiCorps learn? He then began to call down lightening in order to destroy the "evidence" when suddenly his head snapped up, his dark gaze focusing onto something that wasn't there.

"Cassandra!" the Ancient Hunter howled in agony as he flung himself into the night sky, transforming his body in the process and leaving one scene of carnage in the hopes of preventing another.

The Hunter's desperation drove him past his avian form's level of endurance, and still he pressed on. Faster! He had to travel faster! Cassius Virostikovknew that speed was of the essence now. As the Hunter forced forth yet more and then even more of his Ancient powers from his already battle-wearied body he morosely, terrifyingly realized that even his most formidable strength might still not be enough.

The most Ancient of all of Prince Mikhail's Hunters dispersed his form from hawk to mist and called forth a howling gale to aide his travel in order to gain much needed speed. His desperation to reach his home was growing with each passing second, for his mate and their newborn babe were under attack by one whom he had once called brother. Again he felt his further weakening lifemate's desperate call, and in his horrified terror for his family, the Hunter screamed across the Carpathian mind link for reinforcements, desperately calling on all the available Hunters and their human and preternatural allies in the immediate area, hoping beyond hope that his call for aide could be answered in time.

Through all this, he felt his mate's terror, her desperation as she used her quickly fading strength to Weave even further protections about their besieged home. Cassandra too was an Ancient Carpathian and quite powerful in her own right. But, she was still weak from the travails of a dangerous Carpathian childbirth, still too weak from the excessive blood loss and premature birth of their little son. Also, feeling the oncoming attack, she had risen from her rest far too early, had not fed enough, nor spent enough time gaining strength from the life giving soil of their native lands.

To make matters worse, her foe had once been her greatest ally, her own flesh and blood. The personification of this Darkest of all Evils that had once been a powerful and cunning Hunter known as Anthony, once her gentle and loving older brother, and knew well how to counter her Weaving. For that reason alone Cassius would have feared that even his mate's most formidable skills in protective Ward Weaving wouldn't be enough. But with the added dangers of her weakness brought on by childbirth, and the fact that she was alone thanks to the fact that her protectors had been called away to deal with more of the PsiCorps's sadistic bloodhound units who had again been infringing on their homelands and preying on those they protected, Cassius was terrified that the Master Vampire would be able to pick Cassandra's and his protections apart before he could arrive.

Then, all of a sudden, all of the Hunter's worst fears came true. He felt the protections surrounding his home come crashing down, felt the Evil break through and attack his soul mate and felt his beloved's fiery agony as the Vampire tried to claim her, to turn her into a foul, twisted creature such as he. Cassius screamed his out own agony into the night sky, sending thunder and lightening crashing against the velvet darkness, as he tried to send what strength he could to his soul mate, tried to protect her from a distance, even as she rejected it, threw it back into him.

"_Cassius, no! You must stay strong! You know that the others will be too late! You must keep your strength for the battle to come! This foul thing that once was our beloved Anthony is too strong for you to waste your powers like this! I am not long for this existence now, which is something this foul Beast that wears my brother's body is too far gone to see, and you must be strong enough to defeat him! You are all that stands between It and our child now. By my own end I can only delay this Thing until you arrive," _the Ancient Ward Weaver sent out to her mate as she used her own powers to attack the Vampire through her very blood.

"_No! Cassandra!"_Cassius screamed across their link as he "saw" what she was doing; attacking the Master Vampire in the only way that she could now, by Weaving protective wards into her own life's blood that turned it into a poison that would significantly weaken the Horror feeding on her even if it could not kill It.

"_Hurry, my love, please! I have almost no time left! Hurry! Our precious little son's life hangs in the balance! You must stay strong for him, for our little Marcus! You must win this battle! You must live for our son, beloved!" _Cassandra Virostikovasent to her mate using the last of her strength.

"_NO!! Cassandra! Hold on! Please_!" Cassius desperately begged across their private link, his horror growing, his heart, mind and soul desperately trying to deny the truth even as he felt his beloved Cassandra's touch to his mind weaken further and her heart start to stutter just as he reached the boundary of their lands.

"_I cannot beloved, I'm sorry… Stay strong, beloved… prevail and live… live for me… prevail… live... live for Marcus…"_ Cassandra sent to her mate with her final thoughts.

"CASSANDRA!!" Cassius screamed out in pure, unadulterated agony, his soul literally ripping apart as he coalesced and crashed through the ruins that had once been their refuge, their home.

Then he felt it. This was something even worse than his mate's fading. That tiny jewel, that beautiful, multi-colored spark that had brought them such joy had abruptly gone out.

"MARCUS!! CASSANDRA!! NO!!" he screamed out in denial, sending the gale he'd called forth into an avenging fury, thunder and lighting crashing, rain and hail pelting down, with even the Earth Herself answering his call, the ground writhing as if it too was in agony.

The scene that greeted him as he landed was even more gruesome than he could have imagined. The now poisoned Vampire still held his beloved lifemate's lifeless body, still tearing at her mutilated throat while at the same time holding a dripping wrist over her bloodless lips, spilling the putrid and acidic black poison that passed for Its blood onto his victim's beautiful alabaster skin and golden hair. The evil and twisted Thing truly did not realize that she was gone and there was no bringing her back.

"Anthony! You filth! Come meet your end, Vampire!" Cassius challenged the Ancient Vampire as his grief and rage burst forth at the horrifying sight, his grief calling forth the terrifying Beast that had until that moment been caged within his own soul by Cassandra's love and Light.

At the Challenge, the Vampire looked up from his victim's torn throat. What was left of her now cold blood spilling from Its stained fangs and lips, and down his chin and neck. Blearily It tried to focus on the Hunter as recognition slowly came to it. Then, slowly, in a poison induced daze, the Vampire lay Cassandra's body down on the ruins of a rubble-covered settee.

"Sleep, little sister, I'll be back as soon as I greet our old friend. Then we will all be together, just like when we were children," the insane Vampire said, looking into her lifeless emerald eyes and stroking her black-blood streaked hair before straightening and stumbling toward Cassius.

Cassius, maddened with grief, caring for nothing but reeking vengeance and then joining his beloved in death, immediately attacked, falling upon his prey before the Creature that had once been Anthony could take another step. In a burst of blinding preternatural speed and strength, screaming in rage, he rammed his fist into the Vampire's chest, ripping out Its heart while at the same time tearing Its head from its body with his other fist. Cassius was calling down lightening onto the Vampire's corpse and Its various parts before It even had a chance to hit the ground, igniting It and the ruins of his home into a furious blaze.

Not caring about the flames, and actually welcoming them, the grief-maddened Hunter then stumbled to his lifemate's body. He knew he had nothing left to keep him in the Light now. Even that beautiful, tiny spark that had been their Marcus was gone. He had felt their sweet little son pass right before his mate had gone, and he was glad that his beloved Cassandra had had that one small mercy bestowed upon her of not feeling their little one's demise as he had.

Gathering her gently into his arms, Cassius settled down onto the floor of what had once been his refuge of Light. Cradling his dead mate to him, bloody tears streaming from his eyes as he softly sang an old Carpathian lullaby to his forever beloved and the spirit of their little son, the broken and maddened being that had once the most Ancient, the most powerful of all of the Prince's Hunters, prepared to meet his beloved Cassandra and their little jewel in death before the Beast within him took over completely. He welcomed his death in a conflagration of his own making, and it was into this grisly scene that the panicked brothers Daratrazanoff walked into.

* * *

_Down Below, Babylon 5, 2260_

It should have been simple. Just a look, a few words, a few suggestions and presto! One assassination averted!

But no! Oh, no! Neroon just HAD to be one of the "one in a few million" Minbari that were true telepaths, one of the very, very few Minbari whose human genes were actually dominant! What was worse, he just had to be "the One" – and hadn't THAT been an unmitigated shock to his system?! Therefore, like everything else in his cursed life, he had had to do even this the hard way.

Marcus moaned in pain and then coughed up blood again. Oh, how could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so stupid as to let it happen? How could he have been so stupid as the have let his guard down like that? But he had. He had done the stupidest thing possible; he had let his curiosity get the better of him – and done it when his life had literally been on the line! And it HAD cost him his life, but that didn't matter now.

In fact, he was glad that he'd done it, for it had stopped him from making a horrible, terrible mistake. The man known as Ranger Marcus Cole, who was in truth Marcus Virostikov, Carpathian youth and fledgling Hunter, smiled sadly before chuckling morosely and then coughing wetly and spitting up yet more of his precious blood. He looked down at the pool of it at his side, his vision already graying and smiled sadly again.

Marcus knew that he wasn't going to make it. Neroon may have stopped short of killing him, but the damage that the Warrior had inflicted during the_den'shah_ (duel to the death) would still do the work for him in the aftermath. Even his body's preternatural healing abilities wouldn't save him now.

Again Marcus cursed himself for the fool that he saw himself as. He was too weak and too injured to call a human to him for either help or to donate much needed blood – as if he even had the strength to feed! He was too weak and too injured to transform and too far from the Garden to access its store of his homeland's life giving soil in time. Moving in any way would only speed up his loss of blood and he would die before he ever reached it. That was if he had been able to move in the first place. Why oh why had he been so stupid as to choose this spot of all places to confront Neroon?

Sweet Mother Earth, but this was a painful way to go. His brainstem was screaming in fiery agony from both the swelling and from the bone fragments imbedded in it. His spinal cord was littered with even more fragments from his own bones and almost ripped apart, his ribs were crushed and his lungs ripped apart as well. His aorta was torn and spilling his life's blood into his lungs and out through the gashes that his own ribs had made in his side.

Marcus knew that the end was near, that he would die as he had been forced to live for so long. He would die alone, away from his people, away from his homeland. Yes, he would die alone and "drowning" or the Carpathian equivalent there of, in his own blood, for there were none of his people anywhere near Babylon 5. There was no one there that could save him; that even knew how to truly Heal him.

He smiled sadly again. All was not lost though. He had seen the face of his One before the end at least. He had felt the touch of his lifemate's mind before the end at least. He had succeeded in his mission, and even beyond it. Both Delenn and Neroon would live now and that was what mattered. Neroon would live and that was ALL that mattered.

"_Not bad considering just how much I've fucked this up, and I've bloody well fucked this up. I've fucked this up but good. Uncle Lucian would have flayed me alive had he been here to see what a mess I'd made of the situation. Still, they live. HE lives and that's not bad. But, oh it would have been so lovely to feel just one gentle touch from my lifemate's beloved hand before the end,"_ Marcus thought before the darkness claimed him.


	3. Chapter 1

Title: Dark Justice

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Neroon for now. Others may be added as the story progresses.

Story Type: Crossover, Supernatural, Suspense, Action, Drama, and Romance.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The Dark Series, the Carpathians and all the other magical and preternatural beings belong to Christine Feehan and her publishers. Only Cassius and Cassandra Virostikov are mine**. **The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.

Warnings: AU - as in, " Canon? We don't need no stinking canon from either series!" AU, AT, het, slash, extreme violence and dark themes.

Spoilers: Everything – including the kitchen sink!

Summary: This is an answer to the 2007 Halloween crossover challenge found at the Delusions group. It is a crossover between Babylon 5 and Christine Feehan's Dark Series. Love comes those to even those who believe themselves undeserving or above of it, and Justice will always be met out, even to those who bend the very essence of time to their will to escape it.

Acknowledgments: I must thank ckl for taking the time to beta read this story.

*Author's Note: Information on the Dark Series and all her creations can be found at Christine Feehan's official website. One Earth year equals 0.74 Minbari cycles. The Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary, though not all are direct translations.

* * *

Dark Justice

Chapter 1

_Bicaz Gorge, Romania, 2260 –three days prior_

Fleeting images, disjointed, half formed thoughts not his own, barely remembered dreams, memories that were not his memories came to him, whispering across his unconscious mind even his dark yet healing slumber. The Hunter shifted within his bed of earth, waking ever so slowly, yet still not truly awake. All the while visions of a child, his child, his son that even in his state he logically knew could not be, came to him. Visions of his son, his lost, beloved little jewel, came to him again and again on the currents of the Night, tormenting him with painful dreams of what he thought could not be even in the darkest depths of his Carpathian slumber.

Cassius Virostikov came from a long line of Hunters and Healers, not Seers, though there had been a few born to his family in the far past, and as the Seers' blood ran thin in his veins, Cassius at first did not recognize these visions for what they truly were. Soon though, the visions came more quickly and clearly, always stronger in their intensity, until even his half comatose mind could recognize them for what they were. They were True Visions of both the present and the possible futures of his son, of his LIVING SON! Then came the final vision, the devastating final vision that woke him completely and sent him hurtling from both the bed of Carpathian soil and the healing sleep that the Healer Dimitri had locked him in.

"MARCUS!!" the anguished, maddened father's cry shook the very mountains surrounding him and reverberated through the Carpathian mind link like the pressure wave of an atomic bomb, sending many of his people to their knees from the pain of it, as the Ancient launched himself into the air, hoping even through his fevered mind that this time, this time, he would be fast enough to avert disaster.


End file.
